How a community copes with teaching and learning during a natural disaster

Abstract:

The focus of this study is a community's response to and readiness during the occurrence of a natural disaster such as a flood. The particular emphasis is on the preparations for the
continuation of 'emergency education'. The reason the study was undertaken was that
floods have occurred in southern Africa with more frequency lately, and the readiness of
communities to deal with the effects is questioned in this study. My personal experience as community member of the greater Giyani area and as school principal has shown me that most people, least of all the members, schools and the Education Department, have thought about emergency measures. I am referring not only to those measures that pertain to the immediate needs of a community, such as safeness, food, water, medical help and shelter, but the continuation of schooling in some format.
The reason I focus on this is that I believe natural disasters can result in large-scale social
disasters if all sections of society are not geared to continue life as 'normally' as possible.
Youth, especially, need to be assisted not to become deviant in these times. That is why I
undertook this study - to find out what happened to social life, and specifically schooling,
during and in the aftermath of the great floods of 2000. I conducted the inquiry because I
argued that the findings may reveal a way of dealing with regular schooling in the event of
a repeat of the disaster. I based my study partially on some theory of community education, emphasising that community values and community cooperation are essential for dealing with such a disaster. In the field study I used a design that allowed me to capture people's experiences and views directly, using interviews. I had also observed what happened in the sampled villages during the floods, prior to the study. In addition, I had insight into some documents at government departments. I integrated these sources of information.
I found that the way of life of the Tsonga-Shangaan people in this rural area was of such a
nature that they are prone to great loss in the event of such a disaster. Not only are aspects
of their traditional way of life, especially the way their huts are constructed, a barrier to
coping, but the way they value school also plays a role. I found that there were no measures in place to assist learners to stay on track, and that some of them and also some teachers, viewed the floods as a license to stop teaching and learning. I also found that there were individuals who tried their utmost to help to get learners to remaining schools. The most important suggestion that comes from this inquiry is that some form of emergency schooling needs to be in place for times of natural disasters.